


Blood almost tastes like wine

by Explosive_watermelon



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Drugs, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Flashbacks, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mafia AU, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Past Domestic Violence, References to Drugs, Strangers to Lovers, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:22:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29735901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Explosive_watermelon/pseuds/Explosive_watermelon
Summary: Arranged marriages and relationships were pretty common among the different Mafia crews. Especially when it comes to getting better business deals. But George never expected for him to end up in that sort of situation. It was impossible! ...Right?This fic was inspired by Nina cried power,,, somehow.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 156





	1. Suddenly, i feel like i'm going to throw up

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic was inspired by me listening to Nina cried Power by Hozier while in class. Enjoy my dnf brainrot.  
> Also my first language isn't english, so this might be a bit weirdly written, and i haven't really proof-read it so,,,,  
> just sit back, relax, and enjoy the chaos.

It shouldn't have been unexpected to see the man with bloodied hands. As much as George enjoyed sitting in his office, sometimes his own men couldn't do their work, meaning he had to go out and do it for them. No big deal. Just a couple small clean ups for late payments.

"Make sure you have it until next week, otherwise it won't be a pretty sight," George spat at the limp man at his feet. His shoes clinked along the asphalt as he made his way out of the dark alley, the man coughing up clots of blood as he tried to clamber onto his feet.

The dim streetlights barely illuminated the dirty streets as George quickly made his way to the awaiting car, Bad sitting in the driver's seat with an impatient look on his face. He opened the door and sat down, Bad starting up the engine as soon as the passenger door was slammed shut. The black leather creaked slightly under his weight as he stepped on the gas pedal, speeding through the empty street.

"What took you so long? I thought you were there for a clean up," Bad asked as he gripped the steering wheel, his glasses sliding down only a fraction as he sped up when they reached the highway.

"The client was impatient. He refused to give his shit in time, so i had to give him a reminder," George scoffed, throwing the bloodied leather gloves onto the floor with a quiet thump. 

"Language," Bad muttered, turning off the highway and towards the mansion area. His free foot tapped a slow rhythm as they turned a couple corners, going further into the cramped area with multiple large buildings.

George only let out a small sigh at Bad's response. Of course he was gonna correct him and his language, even though he almost beat a man to death with his own fists.

As they pulled up to the gate of the penthouse George fished out his phone from his coat pocket, checking the time. 12:47 am, _'They're gonna nag me for taking so long'_ Geroge thought to himself as the gate opened, letting them into the large driveway. The car rolled smoothly into the dimly lit garage, the black paint giving off a familiar shine as the gate closed behind them.

They simultaneously stepped out of the car, George picking up his bloodied gloves as he did. Bad tossed the keys to Geroger before disappearing into the stairway to get to his designated room. George shoved the keys into his coat pocket and stepped through the door beside the stairway, entering the large kitchen.

"Oh look who's finally back!" Ant said as he caught sight of George. "Took you longer than 10 minutes, huh?"

"Shut up," George grumbled as he sat down on one of the bar stools by the kitchen island, taking off his coat in the process. He placed the dark coat on the chair beside him and proceeded to rest his arms on the marble covered counter. 

Ant simply chuckled at his reaction as he placed down a stack of papers in front of him.

"The boss was speaking about some contract with another local group, and said you should look into the agreement before she makes any contracts," Ant explained as he stepped away from the other and towards the snack cupboard, pulling out a small bag of chips.

"Just tell her to sign whatever deal they wanna make, I couldn't care less," George mumbled, only glancing at the papers before pushing them away. He placed his gloves beside the stack of paper, looking over at Ant with tired eyes.

"I'm pretty sure you want to look at those-"

"No just let her do whatever. My mother knows what she's doing, I'm sure it'll be fine," usually George wouldn't be this lazy, especially when it came to making deals with other mafia groups. But it had been a long night and he was craving to plop down onto the soft mattress that was located in his room.

"If you say so," Ant said in a defeated tone of voice, picking up the stack of papers and placing them into a folder for later use. He popped another chip into his mouth, cringing as the flavored dust coated his fingers.

George only placed his head on the counter, resting his cheek on the cool marble. He almost fell asleep then and there, his eyes feeling heavy as he stared at the nearby wall with a blank expression. He was however rudely disrupted by Bad who stepped into the kitchen.

"Get to bed, we have a meeting to get to tomorrow," Bad said to George as he walked past him. He opened the fridge and grabbed a half empty water bottle before leaving once more.

"He's right yanno, you have a lot to do tomorrow," Ant chuckled, throwing the now empty chip back into the trash can.

"I'm not a baby," George huffed as he pushed himself off the cool counter, grabbing his gloves as well as his coat.

He stepped off the stool and made his way up the large staircase. The clean flooring shone underneath his muddied shoes as he reached the top floor, where his room was located.

"George! There you are honey," his mother exclaimed from the hallway to the right, making her way over to her soon with quick steps. "Did you read the papers?"

"Yeah, I did,'' George lied, his eyes tired as he gave his mom a small smile.

"And you're sure you want to do this? It's going to take a lot from you, you know that right?" she asked, seeming a bit worried for her son as he simply nodded in response.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, you know what you're doing and what you're getting yourself into. I trust your judgement," he replied, his smile still planted onto his tired face.

"If you say so.." she said, giving him a quick hug before walking back towards where she had previously been.

George dropped his tired smile as he headed into his room, taking off his shoes as well as hanging up his coat on the coat hanger. He threw the dirty gloves into some corner of the room, he was too tired to care. He shuffled out of the black slacks, only to be replaced with some black sweats. The white button up was carefully unbuttoned before being thrown into the same corner as the gloves.

He flopped onto the bed, his face falling into the soft pillows. He took a couple soft breaths into the comforting mattress before shifting his position and carefully pulling the weighted blanket onto himself, the glass beads shifting to distribute the weight as evenly as possible. It only took a couple seconds before he was out cold, dreaming of some god forsaken fight he might have previously had.

After being practically dragged out of bed by Bad, George has put on his nicer, not so bloody clothes and shuffled into the car. He didn't get to sit shotgun this time, because the seat was preoccupied by his mother, but he'd live with it. Bad was once again driving, his hands gripping the steering wheel carefully as they went into unknown territory.

George hadn't really known what they were doing or where they were going, but knowing his mom it was probably some business deal with a small mafia group trying to gain recognition in the higher ranks, probably nothing big. Or so he thought.

As they arrived at the destination, an office building located a couple kilometers away from the closest city, George started to feel a little uneasy. He had been used to visiting smaller places, amateurs. But these guys seemed to have more experience, or maybe they were simply trying to show off. George couldn't tell.

"Come on George, we don't have all the time in the world," his mother said as she stepped out of the car, Bad stepping out as well.

George let out an annoyed huff and stepped out and onto the hard concrete. They had parked in the designated parking lot. It looked normal enough for any passersby to not pay it any mind.

They headed into the clean building, being greeted by a receptionist at a white desk. Bad stepped up to the man, speaking some words George couldn't hear. Soon the receptionist stood up and Bad signaled for him and his mother to follow along.

They walked through a thick, wood door and into a darker hallway. The trio were escorted to an elevator, where the receptionist directed them to go to floor 4. George was already starting to get a bit uneasy. He wasn't used to this sort of business situation, but he trusted his mom.

As the metal doors slid open, they were greeted by a black haired man in a white button up and some slacks. He waved for them to follow him down the hallway, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I would like for any possible weapons to be dropped off to me by this door," the ravenette stated firmly as he stopped by a wooden door. He turned his gaze towards us, a small glint of distrust in his eyes.

Bad reached into his coat pocket, handing him the switchblade with a disgruntled expression. The man waited a few more moments, waiting for any more weapons, before nodding and opening the door. 

They were led into the main office, where a woman sat at a large wooden desk. Standing beside her was a blonde boy, standing tall as well as wearing a face mask to cover his mouth.

"Ah! Welcome!" the woman greeted as they stepped into the large office. George and his mom took their seats in two chairs that were standing in front of the large desk ,while bad stood to their right, beside George's mother.

"Thank you for inviting us. This is George, and I'm assuming that's Dream," George's mom stated as she gave the other woman a smile.

George could feel an uneasy lump forming in his throat as the women exchanged a few more words. The ravenette that had earlier escorted them into the room took place beside the boy who George assumed to be Dream. _'Dream, what a weird name'_ George thought to himself. The two spoke in hushed whispers before turning their eyes to George. He fixed his collar quickly as he shifted his gaze towards Bad, who was currently looking at the two women conversing about the deal.

"Well, like I stated in the papers, this is only to help each other build out and reach more areas. We do know you guys have more experience on the loan side of things, while we handle more of the goods," the other woman said, her smile still on her face.

Geroge finally took a moment to observe the woman. She had her hair in a low ponytail, a black dress showing off her arms but coming up her neck. The necklace she wore had a green gem, most likely an emerald, situated in the middle. Her hands were clasped together on the desk, a golden ring shining on her right ring finger.

"Of course. I just care about my boy, you know? At first i thought you were asking for a daughter, but when i read the papers more thoroughly i realized the case," George's mother laughed, the other woman laughing in unison.

 _'What in the actual hell?'_ George thought to himself as he started to tune into their ongoing conversation. The lump in his throat had moved to his stomach, and was now starting to twist and turn as he kept listening.

"Well we do hope that this new relationship can help connect out groups and make us do better business," the lady stated, her gaze falling onto George this time. She didn't seem to have any malicious intent in her green eyes, but Geroge still felt like he had stepped into something he hadn't signed up for.

"Yes of course! I'm sure George will try his best to get along with Dream! Though he isn't the most affectionate," his mother laughed, placing a comforting hand on her son's shoulder.

"Well, while we sign these papers to finish up the deal, should we give the boys some time to get to know each other? They have a lot ahead of them," the woman asked, looking over at George with an expectant gaze.

Geroge looked over at Bad, trying to get some sort of explanation as to what was going on. He could kind of guess, but god did he not want it to be true. Bad only gave him a worried smile.

"I think that would be great. Though i would prefer if Bad went along with him, just so he doesn't feel too uncomfortable," she answered, patting her son on the shoulder before dropping her hand. She looked over at Bad who only nodded.

"Of course," the woman said and turned her head towards the other two boys. "Sapnap, will you escort these two gentlemen to another room where they can get to know you two?"

The ravenette only nodded as he stepped towards the door again. Dream followed after, adjusting the white facemask as he did. George got up from the chair, not realizing his hands were shaking until then. Bad patted him reassuringly on the back as they followed the black haired man, Sapnap, out the door and out into the hallway.

The walk through the long corridor was quiet, except for the thumps and clicks of their shoes against the hardwood floor. Suddenly one of them broke the silence.

"Did you read the papers my mother sent? You looked like a deer in the headlights while listening to the conversation," Dream asked as they kept walking, turning his head toward George.

George took a quick breath, realizing that he had been caught.

"Wait- you didn't read them?" Bad asked, a bit of shock underlying in his voice.

"Uh-"

"You muffin head!-" Bad whispered quickly, his eyes widening a fraction under the square glasses.

Sapnap only let out a scoff while Dream chuckled. George felt the lump that had been in his stomach double in size as he realized that he had made some sort of mistake.

"Look i didn't think it was that important-"

"Anything you get on paper is important!" Bad almost sounded frustrated as he spoke to George, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

The two almost didn't notice Sapnap and Dream stopping in front of a door and stepping inside. The followed suit, their small argument quieting down as Dream closed the door behind them.

They stood in a sort of office, but it also looked like a lounge area or living. Along the left wall stood tall bookshelves as well as a large leather sofa and a coffee table. On the right a TV hung on the wall, as well as some paintings of scenic views, mainly of mountains and such. In front of the tv stood yet another sofa, this one larger in size and covered in fabric instead of leather. Another small coffee table stood there as well. Along the back wall stood a large desk with a computer perched on top. The window behind it had it's blinds closed tightly as well as the curtains pulled forward to prevent any light from slipping inside. In the middle lay a large, white rug that spread across the room and under the sofas. In the corners stood tall plants, as well as by the door they had just stepped through. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light being two led light strips and a couple candles standing on the rather empty coffee tables.

"Have a seat anywhere and we can get to know each other," Dream said and placed a hand on George's left shoulder.

Geroge quickly jumped away from the sudden touch, which earned him a laugh from Dream. The blonde soon moved to sit down on the couch to the right, Sapnap following suit. George swallowed down the nervousness and sat on the opposite side of the two, bad deciding to stand behind the couch instead of sitting down like the rest.

"So. You didn't read about anything?" Sapnap asked, looking over at George with a shit eating grin on his face. He looked like he was about to burst out laughing at any second.

George only nodded in response, Bad letting out a quiet sigh in response.

"Then maybe we should explain, unless you've figured it out already?" the ravenette asked, shuffling slightly to get more comfortable on the couch.

"Well i can only guess, but i hope it's not what i'm thinking of," George replied, moving his legs slightly. He felt like he was going to throw up, the situation falling onto him like a pile of bricks.

"Relationship for business purposes," Dream stated quickly, leaning his head against the back of the couch as he spoke. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

George would've thrown up right then and there if it hadn't been for Bad placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Bad with a panicked look on his face. He had thought this might've been the case but he wasn't expecting him to actually be right.

"You're kidding," George said, a slight twinge of panic laced into his vice as he turned his head back to the other two men.

"Fully serious, mister 404," Sapnap laughed, George only frowning at the new nickname he had come up with.

George let out a frustrated sigh as he looked back up at Bad, who only gave him a sympathetic look in return.

"Look i'm just as against this as you are, but business is business. My sister is too young so i was the only other candidate," Dream huffed, pulling his head up to look at George. The white mask muffled a couple of the disappointed words, but he could hear him relatively well anyways.

"Wait- i have a sister that is around the same age as me. Why didn't she get set up with you instead?" He was incredibly confused by this fact. He knew damn well that his sister probably would have been a better candidate.

"Little Dreamie over here isn't as straight as a ruler," Sapnap said, fully serious.

"Sapnap!" Dream said and lightly smacked Sapnap who only laughed in response.

"And what in the world made you assume that _I'm_ not straight?" George had never really thought about his own sexuality. He hadn't had time for those sorts of things, so now that it came up here his brain started working in hopes of finding something that could tell him what sexuality he had. He'd always just assumed he was straight.

His question was met with a chorus of laughter by the two, as well as a small giggle from Bad. George only gave his friend a small death glare before turning back to the others who had stopped laughing.

"Well i'm pretty sure your mother wouldn't have agreed to this if she knew you were fully straight, right? It just wouldn't make the whole relationship look real to the outside world, meaning that people would doubt our business practices," Dream said, draping his arms along the back of the couch.

 _'Shit. He's right.'_ George thought to himself as he shuffled more towards Bad, trying to not look too uncomfortable.

"I- fine. But it's only going to be pretend. I will _not_ actually get together with a man I just met," George explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke.

George had honestly expected for the two to be more cold, more merciless, but they seemed to be a bit more laid back than other mafia members that he had met.

"Right back at you," Dream chuckled, his eyes falling to meet George's.

They held each other's gazes for a couple seconds, almost feeling stuck and being unable to let go. Geroge hated it. He had to pretend to be together with this smug, yet pretty laid back son of a mafia boss. What had he done to deserve this?! _'Well it could be worse'_ George thought to himself, not even realizing that he'd been staring into Dream's eyes for over a couple seconds. After the realization he quickly moved his gaze away, a small smirk of srtos spreading onto Dream's lips.

"Anyways, you two should start getting along soon. The boss has decided to start off strong and have you two in a business meeting together, or more like a gala of sorts. It's going to be a perfect business opportunity," Sapnap explained, leaning forward from where he was sitting. That same shit-eating grin on his face as before.

George swallowed down the bile in his throat. What the fuck had he gotten himself into?


	2. The Gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo so uh i did NOT expect people to actually read this O-O;; i only planned on doing like three chapters, but i think i might make it longer if i get the right inspo!! Please be patient with me, exams n shit are gonna be starting for me in a bit so it's stressy!!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy chapter 2!

The rest of the day had passed by in a blur for George. It had mainly contained things like contract signing,a mini existential crisis as well as some goodbyes to his soon to be in law family of sorts. It had been a rough day for the guy.

In the car on their way home was silent, the song playing on the radio filling up the tense air. George hadn't told his mother about the fact that he had avoided the papers, and he wasn't planning on telling her either. If he did then she would yell at him until his head fell of or something along those lines. As much as she was a cold business woman, she still wanted the best for her children, especially for Geroge who would end up taking her place after she retired.

"Where is the gala we're going to tomorrow? Anything we need to bring?" Bad broke the silence, his voice calm and professional. 

"Well we're probably going to make some sort of business, so i suggest we bring along Ant and Velvet if we want to get all the deals we can reach," George's mother stated, her eyes focused on the horizon where the evening sun was slowly setting.

"Are you sure you want to bring those two together? They're going to slobber all over each other the whole time," George laughed, Bad having to stifle his own laugh at the words. George's mother only let out an amused sigh in response.

"Yeah, they will probably make even the married couples disgusted. But they are good at scouting out possible business partners, so we'll have to deal with it," she laughed, turning her head to look over her shoulder and over at Goerge in the backseat.

The british boy was on the left side, looking out the window and leaning towards the car door. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, the lump in his throat still sticking around since their last encounter. He still wasn't over the fact that he'd probably have to marry this random man he met only a couple hours ago.  _ 'At least he isn't a complete arse.' _ Goerge thought to himself as he watched the sky turn into bright hues of orange and pink, his face reflecting the splendid colors in the car window.

"Georgie, you seem upset, what's wrong?" his mother asked, looking back towards the road.

Geroge could hear Bad shifting slightly in his seat at the words. He only let out a huff in response and turned his eyes in his mother's direction.

"Nothing, just don't really like big outings. The Jschlatt guy is always so loud," George lied, shifting his position and crossing his leg over the other. While he was technically lying, just the thought of the almost corrupt businessman made him shiver.

He had only encountered the man a couple times. Mainly during the big social outings or when he would visit his mother to sign some contracts. He was very high up in the ranks, making even his mother respect him a whole amount. As much as Jschlatt was a respected figure, he blew tons of money on expensive alcohol, as well as on gambling, but it didn't seem to worry him. He had enough money to spare. The most unsettling part about Jschlatt according to George was the stupid side beard he had. 

"I know honey, but he has good contacts in almost all fields. We need to at least try to get some sort of allegiance with him," his mother gave him a sympathetic smile through the rearview mirror, barely noticing how Bad had tensed up for a couple seconds.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I just don't like the way he treats his employees. Remember tht Quackity guy? He basically seemed to be his slave," he had to supress the shiver that once more spread up his spine. While he was used to blood, torture and horrible treatment to other human beings, he didn't enjoy higher ups abusing their powers and trying to get whatever they want with it. George may be second in line to a mafia throne, but he had his morals!

"You know how he is. The respect got to his head," she laughed, her eyes shifting towards the familiar roade to the mansion.

The conversation was cut off by the trio entering the large gate and driving into the spacious garage. They all stepped out of the car, Bad hanging the keys up on the key holder before heading into the house through the kitchen door, George's mother following suit.

George decided to head straight up the staircase and toward his own room. Almost all his energy had been drained from the conversation that was hanging in his brain.

As he stepped into his room he took off his suit jacket as well as his shoes and flopped onto his stomach on the bed. He fished his phone out of his pocket, his head resting on top of the soft mountain of pillows as he aimlessly scrolled through unopened emails. They were mainly spam or smaller businesses trying to climb the ranks with the help of him and his mother. He closed his phone, tossing it to the side of the king sized mattress and rolling onto his back.  _ 'I swear if i have to wear a suit for one more day i will punch the nearest person.'  _ George thought to himself as he stared at the chandelier that was emitting light into his large room. The crown of light shone light onto the multitude of paintings and bookshelves that were placed along his walls.

The blue rug that stretched across his room glistened in the moon light that shone through the window, the blue fibres almost reflecting the light. His desk stood in the right corner, piles of papers messily scattered across the wood surface while his PC stood neatly in the middle. The Flat screen Tv hung on his left wall, a white sofa situated in front of it with some plants standing tall beside it. George was content with the room, his bed standing along the back wall in the middle. The walk in closet was situated to his right, while the door to his private bathroom stood a few feet away from his desk. It was a nice room.

George sort of lost himself in his own thoughts. His mind wandered back to the conversation he'd had with Sapnap and Dream. They didn't seem all that bad, but they did seem smug as hell and like they would be a total pain to be with. Under any other circumstance he would've probably become great friends with the two, but since his world had come crashing down on him he didn't really like the two. They laughed at his misery, joked about his possible sexuality and then Dream said that he didn't even want to do it?  _ 'What the hell is wrong with them?!'  _ George's thoughts ran rampant, his brain only making up possible scenarios for the upcoming day.

A small buzzing sound came from his phone. George picked upp the cell ,starting at the bright screen.

**"Hello :P My mom gave me your number for 'getting to know each other' reasons. Make sure to wear something nice tomorrow! - Dream :)"**

George was almost shocked by the total bluntness by the other guy. He was acting like this was some sort of game that they could stop at any second.

He grumpily tossed his phone to his bedside table, getting up to switch into more comfortable clothes. Dress pants and a white button up weren't exactly the most ideal when you were in a bad mood.

A black hoodie and some black sweatpants was all George needed to feel a little less annoyed. At least he didn't feel like he was on a business trip anymore. 

He picked the phone back up, reading over the notification one last time before unlocking the small device to shoot the other a response.

**"Thanks. You too."**

He wasn't going to make himself that easy to befriend, especially after the mild humiliation he had experienced.

His phone buzzed almost instantly once more, signaling some sort of response from the blonde on the other end.

**"Oh don't worry. I will :)"**

"What the hell-" George mumbled under his breath, his eyebrows narrowing at the sort of suggestive message.  _ 'What's wrong with this guy?'  _

With one last look at his phone, George placed it to charge and layed down on his bed, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

**_(song recommended here: The villian i appear to be, by Connor Spiotto and Molly Pease)_ **

The gala was loud, cramped, and the large ball room already smelled like alcohol. The shimmering dresses and multicolored suits made no big difference to George, he couldn't properly see the colors anyway, but his mother did complain about the multitude of colors.

"It's in times like these that i do wish i were colorblind," George's mother joked, patting a grumpy George on the back.

Ant, Velvet and Bad only snickered as the joke as George let out an annoyed sigh. It wasn't the first time she had made that sort of joke. 

The calm, yet almost jazzy music echoed through the spacious room. The stage was occupied by some band who seemed to be enjoying themselves. The lyrics swayed through George's ears, making him slightly tap his foot along with the beat. It filled the room with a more relaxed aura than he had expected there to be.

"Hey! George!" a familiar voice shouted from deep within the crowd of people. Goerge only had a few moments to realize who it was before the figure approached.

"Dream," George said almost bitterly as the blonde approached, the white mask still sticking to his face like when he first met him.

The boy was wearing a marine vest on top of a white button up shirt that had been rolled up to his elbows, exposing some tan, freckled skin. Atop his hands were black leather gloves which barely covered a silver bracelet that rested on his right wrist. His pants were nothing fancy, just slacks that matched the color of the blue vest. A black tie was situated around his neck and the blonde hair was slicked back into a more neat look, only a couple stray hairs lining the freckle filled face.

"I see you actually decided to dress differently than you usually do," George could practically hear the smirk from the blonde as he spoke to him.

George had decided to switch from his usual simple black suit and a white button up. This time he wore white button up with a black corset on top, giving him some sort of stability while also looking fashionable. On top he had a brown suit jacket adorned with buttons along the sleeves. The top button of his white button up was unbuttoned, revealing a small bit of the simple gold necklace underneath. His pants were the matching color of the suit jacket, however a couple chains hung from the belt, giving it a slight shimmer in the dim lighting of the room.

"Should I be taking that as a compliment or an insult?" George asked in a bit of a joking tone, trying to ease some of the tension that hung in the air.

Dream only chuckled at the response and shoved a hand into his pocket, the smirk visible even though it was hidden by the pearly white mask.

"Why would I insult my to-be fiancé?" he laughed, George's eyebrows furrowing slightly.

_ 'Of course he isn't taking it seriously... What a child.'  _ He thought to himself before replying to the still chuckling man.

"Well, at least i can say you don't look too bad yourself," he replied, looking the taller man up and down one last time, giving him a forced smile.

"I picked out blue because i figured you'd actually be able to see it"

"Oh-" George's face heated up slightly at that statement. He wasn't used to people actually caring about the fact that he was colorblind.

The interaction was received with a couple laughs from Ant and Velvet who had been watching the whole ordeal. Velvet simply whistled, making George turn to him and send a death glare.

"Georgie, come on, we need to get to our table," George's mom said, a small laugh escaping her lips as she had also been watching the interaction.

"Actually, my mother has decided that we wanted to invite you to our table. Of course that is if you don't mind, miss 404," Dream turned to George's mother, his smile under the mask turning professional instead of teasing.

"Oh of course! Come on boys, let's go," she said, delight in her voice as she started following the tall man.

As they followed Dream, Velvet and Ant came up on either side of George, shit eating grins plastered on their faces.

"Seems like little Georgie over here as the hots for the blondie," Velvet teased, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Ant only laughed in response, which earned them both a frustrated groan from George.

"I do  _ NOT.  _ I hate his guts! He's so childish," he whisper shouted, trying to not possibly catch the attention of the man he was talking to.

"I can confirm this," Bad said as he appeared out of nowhere, suddenly walking behind the three as they approached their designated location.

"Ah! Miss 404!" the other business woman exclaimed as her son approached with their guests. "It's so nice to see you!"

"The feeling is mutual," she replied as she took a seat by one of the empty chairs. George sat himself next to his mother, the corset giving him the best posture he had kept for weeks.

At the table a couple more men sat. Aside from dream and his mother, Sapnap, an older looking man and a brown haired boy were sitting at the table. Sapnap looked the same as when George had first met him, but this time he wore a white bandanna in the dark locks of hair. He was eagerly chatting with the brown haired boy beside him, who wore a white button up with a black suit jacket on top. However, he had a very colorful handkerchief resting in the outer pocket, which made him look a little less threatening. George could only assume the older man sitting beside the woman was some sort of bodyguard.

"I should probably introduce these two gentlemen," George's mother said, looking over at Ant and Velvet who had taken seats in empty chairs beside each other. "That's Ant and Velvet. We do excuse any bad cases of PDA that these two might exhibit."

"Oi-" Velvet gasped, pretending to look offended as he placed a hand over his heart.

The table broke out into small laughter at the reaction, even the bodyguard gave a little smile.

"Well I should probably introduce our extras as well," Dream's mother said after stopping her small fit of giggles, looking over at the two men seated close to her. "The younger is Karl, and the man beside me is Hbomb. He is usually not around me specifically, but he offered his services since my usual is busy as of right now."

The man, Hbomb, only gave a small nod in response. Karl however waved happily. George then noticed the black nail polish that colored his nails. ' _ Huh. Neat'  _

They fell into comfortable chatter, the two women talking about some fellow mafia bosses in the room while Ant and Velvet started conversing with Sapnap and Karl. Even Bad started a small conversation with the bodyguard. George only listened to the ongoing conversations, his mind wandering into its own little abyss.

**_(music can be tuned out here)_ **

His train of thought was suddenly cut off by the music stopping, and instead being replaced with the man he dreaded seeing the most.

Jschlatt.

The man stood on top of the stage, looking over the sea of people who were now looking over at him.

"Welcome! It is my great pleasure to see you all on this fine evening," he started off his speech, turning his gaze to look around at the different groups of people. He knew what they were all here for. And that was business. "I think you all know why we're here. So i say, let the waiters serve the food, and you can converse over dinner while we await some of the other groups."

Suddenly waiters and waitresses were in the large ballroom with plates balanced on top of their arms. They dropped off the magnificent dishes in front of the rich Mafia bosses and business women and men. George's mouth had already started to water at the sight of some of the dishes.

"Please, enjoy the food and sit back and relax as you speak business. Later on there will be a dance, as promised," Jschlatt said as his last words, walking off the stage only to be replaced by some people preparing their equipment. They came in with more classical instruments. 

"I call dibs on first dance with George," Dream mumbled under his breath as a plate of wagyu steak was placed in front of him, his hands immediately going to the cutlery to dig in.

"I will not be stepping onto the dirty dance floor," George replied, staring down at the plate he had received. A beautiful plate adorned with sauces, sauteed vegetables and some seafood, most likely lobster.

"Oh come on Georgie! It'll be fun! You're pretty good at dancing too," George's mother stated, others around the table laughing at the response.

"Yeah Georgie, we'll have s-"

"Don't call me that," George cut off Dream mid- sentence, not caring about how rude he may have seemed. He was tired, grumpy, and was quite frankly getting a headache from all the scraping of plates and cutlery.

"Sorry," Dream replied bashfully, turning to his own food as the two fell into silence.

Their mothers only shared quick, worried glances before turning to the plates of food they had received.

The people at the table all dug into the gourmet dishes, the smooth tastes exploded into George's mouth as he chewed. He'd never been a fan of Seafood, but this was definitely an exception. The texture was perfect, not gummy like when he'd usually eat it, but soft, yet still not soft enough to fall apart in his mouth. It was almost like biting into a pillow. The vegetables were no different. The carrots had been browned, and remained crunchy on the outside while somehow having a soft interior. The eggplant, kale, onions and other veggies didn't disappoint either,

After some time of eating, the table fell into small talk. They simply spoke about their days and how their plans were going for the day's outing.

"Well Ladies and Gentlemen! I'd say it's finally time to head to the dance floor. The waiters and waitresses will serve any wine or liquor of choice if so requested, simply wave them over. Enjoy the rest of the night," Jschlatt had suddenly appeared onto the stage, a filled wine glass in his free hand. People started getting up from their tables and filing to the open floor located in front of the stage, ready to dance to the slow, classical music that drove through the air.

**_(if you wish to listen to music, i recommend putting on any classical music playlist :) I personally recommend Stravinsky's septet, part 1-3)_ **

Velvet was quickly dragging Ant onto the already cramped dancefloor, a mischievous smile plastered onto his face.

"And there they go. In about 30 minutes we will find them in some sort of Janitor's closet," George's mother laughed.

The rest simply laughed along, only watching as the two men started dancing along to the ongoing music.

"George, if you go dance with Dream i'll make sure Bad isn't allowed to Language you for a whole week," his mother whispered to him, looking over at the unsuspecting man who was readjusting his glasses.

"Mum i don't know why you're trying to get me to be all buddy-buddy with him i-"

"And you'll get to use the car all by yourself."

"... Fine."

"There's my boy!" she patted him on the back before he stood up.

He stepped over to the seemingly oblivious blonde, who was currently in conversation with Sapap and Karl. From what George could hear, the trio was speaking about some sort of video game.

"Uhm- Dream. Join me on the dancefloor, will you?" George almost stumbled over his words, clearing his throat at the annoyance and embarrassment he felt in that moment.

"I thought you didn't want to dance?" Dream asked teasingly, turning his head to the british boy with a smirk underneath his mask. George could already feel the annoyance bubble up within him.

"I changed my mind. Now do you want to dance or not?" George reached out his hand to the blonde, who quickly grabbed it and got up to his feet.

He barely had a moment to react before he was being dragged onto the dance floor, where people had already started their graceful dancing. Dream held up his right hand, a sign for George to grab it. As the british boy followed the signs, mainly just hovering his hand in the other's, Dream placed a steady hand on the other's waist. George hesitantly placed his free hand onto Dream's shoulder, earning a happy smile from Dream in return.

They made their way onto the dancefloor, falling into a sync with the other participants. The dresses from the women and couple men were flowing over the floor, creating almost flower-like patterns as they waltzed across the ground. George didn't even look at Dream as they danced, simply staring above his shoulder to try and avoid any sort of conversation. But of course that failed when Dream pushed himself a little bit closer to the british boy.

"You don't seem to be enjoying this very much," Dream teased as he spun George around, causing the other to almost stumble on his own feet. The corset was giving him a bit of an issue, but he'd manage.

"Well, maybe you're just not a very good dancer," George teased back, trying to get some sort of more serious reaction out of the other.

As much as George hated Dream's guts, he couldn't deny he was actually pretty attractive and good at dancing. He somehow had not stepped on George's feet once during their entire dance, which was better than he was used to.

"Oh come on," he replied, his voice suddenly dropping an octave.

It was very unexpected for his voice to drop lower, which made a shiver run up George's spine.  _ 'What the hell what the fuck what-' _

He couldn't respond for a couple seconds, which only made Dream let out a laugh.

"You okay there? Cat got your tongue?" he teased as George regained his composure, straightening his back even as the corset held him up.

"Show me how well you can dance then. Knock me off my feet, will ya?" George suddenly moved his hand to Dream's tie, whispering the words in the now shocked boy's ear.

George had honestly had enough. If the other was gonna pretend like this whole ordeal was a funny game, then he'd create his own rules and play the game in his own way. It takes more than one person to dance waltz, so he could show him his skills right then and there if he wanted to prove himself.

"Just be prepared," Dream gave a final warning as George let go of the tie, a challenging smirk on his face.

Suddenly Dream took some extra steps, spinning George around in the process. The dance quickly became complicated, as Dream lifted George and spun him around to the rhythm of the classical music. The two kept intense eye contact for the majority as they danced their hearts out to the classical piece of music. The feeling of Dream's warm, gloved hands was all George could feel. And the gaze that held his was the only thing he could see. The smell of Dream's most likely expensive cologne spread to his nose and into his lungs, filling him with an almost intoxicated feeling as they kept at the fiery dance.

As the music slowed to a halt, a burst of applause could be heard from around them. They looked around carefully, not noticing that they had moved the people off the dancefloor with their own dance.

"Whoops," Dream mumbled as he carefully let go of George. He bowed to him, a smirk plastered on his dumb face as George turned red at the realization.

George was going to kill Dream if he ever did that again.

But they made their way off the designated dancefloor and back towards their table, where the people were chuckling. Sapnap even let out a whistle.

"We will never do that, ever again," George complained as he sat down, wiping a tiny bead of sweat from his forehead.

In reality, he had actually enjoyed the dance. And it was the only thing his mind wandered to for the rest of the night.


	3. I fucked up

Hey so this isn't part of the story!! Just an apology from my end.  
Someone has notified me of the meaning of the song "Nina cried power" by Hozier, the song i was inspired by! They pointed out why the name "George cried power" isn't the best name for a fic when it was inspired by that song.  
I have realized my mistake and have changed the name of the fic and will not make this mistake again. Please notify me of any other errors i may have made and i will change them immediately! I am so sorry i made this error, i now know better.

I would also like to state this work is purely a work of fiction! I do NOT ship the irl creators and if they speak of being uncomfortable with fics like these i will delete all traces of this fic. I will not even save it privately.   
I will also be including cw/tws in future chapters! Mainly because I want to make sure everyone is comfortable reading this.

And like I said, if there is anything else you want to notify me about, PLEASE tell me so i can fix it immediately!

Thanks for your time!


	4. As I fall into the abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George comes home, tired and exhausted, only to find himself failing to find some sort of rest. And so, his mind starts to wander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW/CW: This chapter containts a very explicitly written panic attack, it contains thoughts about blood and violence! I will put a warning where it starts and where it ends for those who don't want to read it. I'll summarise if needed at the end notes.  
> This depiction of a panic attack might not be accurate for everyone reading, i am simply going off of my own experiences as well as experiences i've heard about from close friends.

A wave of fatigue flooded into George's brain as he finally got to lay down onto the bed that he called his. The boy's head was pounding, a headache coming onto his unsuspecting brain. But he didn't care, he just wanted to rest. It had been a long day filled with alcohol, money making and dancing.

The sound of his phone buzzing in his pocket alerted him out of his tired daze. He grabbed the small device and stared at the bright screen, his eyes felt a burning sensation in the process.

**"Hope you had fun. I sure did :)"**

It was a message from Dream. George only sighed at the stupid emoticon that Dream loved to put at the end of his messages. It made George view him like a child more than before, which wasn't a good thing.

He decided against responding, only leaving the other on read in hopes of getting some rest soon. 

But as he shuffled out of his formal and switched into more comfortable clothes, he felt himself start to break into a cold sweat. He only assumed it was due to the temperature of the room, which was currently on 21C. He simply climbed into the comforting blankets, not thinking any more of it.

**_(TW!! Panic attack starts here)_ **

However, the feeling wouldn't stop. He slowly felt his hands trembling, his body following the sensation. _'Not now not now why now?!'_ George thought to himself, his inner voice sounding panicked.

He quickly sat up, trying to catch some air to calm down the numbing sensation in his fingers. The only seemed to worsen the situation as he felt himself run short of breath. He looked at his hands with bleary eyes, trying to figure out a way to stop himself from shaking. But nothing came into his head as voices filled the empty noise in the room. 

The rapid beating of his heart only made it worse, his lungs slowly speeding up the tempo of his short breaths.

"Fuck, fuck-" he whispered out, clenching and unclenching his hands in hopes of getting som feeling into them.

Nothing.

It was almost as if his hands had been amputated from his body. They were cold and stale. He could only feel his body trembling as his breathing pattern turned into hyper ventilating and his head started feeling light and he felt sick to his stomach.

His mind slowly started morphing images in front of him.

_His mother was standing there, in front of her now ex-husband. He was yelling, holding an empty whisky bottle in his hand. George knew where this was going. He'd seen it so many times in his nightmares._

_In seconds blood was splattered onto the floor as the whiskey bottle hit his mother's head, the shards of glass cutting into her head and falling onto the floor. She screamed out in pain, which only seemed to bring attention to the nearby guards._

_George was looking through his own eyes from when he was around five. It had been traumatic for him, but the experience had taught him that not all people in the world are good and mean the best for you. Some are corrupt, and only want to use you for their own personal gain._

_His young eyes roamed over the bloody floor, his unconscious mother now laying face down in a small pool of her own blood. Soon a gunshot was heard, and his father was falling back into the shelf behind him._

_"Come here George, look away, come on," it was Bad's voice. He had picked the boy up into his arms as he quickly walked away from the blood-stained room. "Are you okay, you didn't get any shards of glass on you? Georgie, look at me."_

_George couldn't respond as his brain was trying to process what had happened, what he had seen. He could see from over Bad's shoulder how his mom was quickly picked up and rushed out of the room, while his father was left to bleed out on the livingroom floor._

_Bad had walked with him into his room, where his younger sister was somehow sleeping. He sat down on the small bed, Bad crouching down in front of him._

_"Hey, buddy, let me take a look at you, okay?" he quickly fixed his glasses before turning Geroge's face to the side, looking for any sign of blood or a wound._

_"Is mom going to be okay? Why didn't they pick up dad as well?" George asked, tears now streaming down his face._

_"Mom is going to be fine, but dad is just going to... take a long nap, okay?" his movements had frozen as he stopped checking the young boy for injuries, his eyes glossing over with worried tears. "A very long nap."_

_George only nodded, too tired and afraid to ask further questions._

George was snapped out of the flashback as he felt arms wrap around his shaking body. He quickly looked up, recognizing the face of the person who was comforting him.

Bad.

He clung to the other, his arms gripping onto the back of his shirt as he tried to steady his breathing.

"Breathe in for me," Bad said, his voice calm and understanding as he rubbed the other's back. He breathed in, George following after. "And out."

He followed Bad's lead, his hands slowly regaining feeling. His heart was hurting, but it was starting to calm down.

"There you go, you're doing amazing," 

George inhaled another shaky breath, holding it for a couple of seconds before releasing it. He repeated the process a couple more times, his hands no longer numb.

"Thank you..." he whispered in between the steadying breaths.

"It's alright, just keep breathing," Bad replied, moving a careful hand to the younger's hair and carefully petting it.

**_(Panic attack ends here!)_ **

George felt like a kid again, being comforted by Bad. 

Bad had come to them when he was a teenager, around 14. He had been kicked out by his parents due to reasons unknown to George. Bur hi mother had taken him in, seeing some sort of potential in him. At first he had started as a babysitter for George, who was 4 at the time he arrived. He also helped with his sister who was around two. He quickly grew close to the other, seeing him as a sort of older brother figure.

So now that he was being comforted by him, he wanted to go back to when he was a kid. But alas, that was impossible. Unless someone invented a sort of time machine, but that didn't seem like a logical solution.

"You want me to let go?" Bad asked, his hand still petting the younger's hair as he spoke.

George only shook his head in response, inhaling a shaky breath as he did.

"Alright,"

They sat there in a comfortable silence. The only sound coming from George's steadying breathing and the wall clock that hung on the nearby wall. George couldn't tell how many minutes had passed by the time his breathing was steady again.

"You can let go now," he mumbled and let go of Bad.

The other carefully let go, a sad smile on his face as George looked at him. He only grimaced at the stain of tears that had been left on the other's shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or should we go to the kitchen and i'll make you some tea?" Bad asked, looking at George who seemed to be tired.

"I... Let's go down to the kitchen. I need a painkiller or five," he replied, carefully pulling his shaky legs out of the blanket.

Bad only laughed, reaching out a hand to George to help him up. The brit gave him a smile and took the hand, pulling himself onto wobbly legs. He took a moment to steady himself before letting go of the other's hand and walking out of the bedroom door.

They descended the large wooden staircase toward the kitchen. A majority of the lights in the house were still on due to the fact that they had people coming in and out after different jobs. It was a normal night for the headquarters of a mafia business.

"What tea do you want?" Bad asked as he stepped over to the electric kettle, filling it with water under the tap before placing it on the holder and starting it. After that he opened the cabinet that they had designated for drugstore drugs, not the illegal kind. He got out the pack of painkillers and placed them in front of George and headed towards the fridge, where he got a water bottle which he placed beside the painkillers.

"Whichever is your favorite," he mumbled and sat down on the barstool closest to him. He popped out two pills from the packet, swallowing them down with the water.

Bad hummed in response, pulling a box of some loose leaf tea from a cabinet. He hummed a quiet melody as he prepared the tea, it sounded like a song that he would usually play in the car when he got to pick the music. George was pretty sure it was called something along the lines of _"Killing me softly"_ , but he was unsure. 

The sound of a small click signalled that the water had finished boiling. Bad prepared the cup of unknown tea and placed it in front of George with a smile. 

"Want me to make you anything to eat?" Bad asked as he placed the pack of painkillers back in the medicine cabinet.

"I'm not a child, you know that right?" George joked, carefully stirring around in the green tea with a spoon.

"I know, I know. I just know you're usually exhausted after your panic attacks and I want to make sure you've properly calmed down before I leave you alone," he explained, looking over at George with a smile that had undertones of worry.

"It's fine, Bad. I can take care of myself," he said as he picked up the cup and carefully blew on the steaming liquid. He took a careful sip, letting the warm liquid flow into his mouth and cover his taste buds. "Is this the one you got from your friend? What's it called? Like Mareld or something."

"Yep! This specific blend is only sold in a small shop in Sweden. I have to ask him to send me a bag every couple of months because the other stores online just don't make it the same," Bad giggled, watching as George took another sip of the tea.

George slowly finished the cup, placing it back down on the counter carefully as to not make any loud noises. Bad carefully took the cup and went to wash it out by hand, even though he could simply put it in the dishwasher. He enjoyed cleaning, it was calming.

"Are you able to go to bed? Or should we watch a movie or something?" Bad asked as he placed the cup on the drying rack and wiped his hands on the kitchen towel.

George had to think for a moment. While he wanted to simply head to bed and fall into the realm known as sleep, he was afraid of what would happen if he were left alone. Would he have another panic attack? Would he go into some kind of trance where he would somehow end up hurting himself or others that he cared about? 

"Can we watch a movie? I don't care which one it is, i just-"

"You don't have to explain yourself, come on," Bad gave him a pat on the shoulder, moving towards the living room.

George followed after, pulling down the sleeves of the hoodie he was wearing. While it felt gross to be wearing it after his pretty recent panic attack, he didn't have the energy to go upstairs and change. So for now he was stuck in it.

They sat down onto the couch, Bad picking up the remote and turning on the TV. He scrolled through some of the new movies on Netflix, but nothing seemed to catch his attention. After a little while he decided to put on Spirited away. Sure, it might've been seen as a more childish choice, but it was a good movie.

Bad looked over at George who was leaning his head against the back of the couch, his eyes tired and puffy from crying earlier. He opened an arm and George looked over, scooting into the hug and resting on the other's shoulder.

"Just try to sleep, I'm right here," Bad said as he reached for a blanket ith his free hand. He carefully unfolded the fizzy comforter and draped over George's half asleep form.

George only muttered something in response, pulling the blanket up onto himself and passing out almost instantly.

It didn't take long for bad to fall asleep as well, the movie simply playing in the background.

It was nice. Peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To summarize for those of you who didn't want to rea the panic attack!   
> George had flashbacks to how his father died around the age of 6. Him and his mom were fighting and he smashed a bottle over her head before getting sh*t and bleeding out. Bad came to comfort George in the flashback and George was later helped out of his panic attack by Bad.
> 
> Also sorry for the shorter chapter!! I've had some pretty bad writers block :((


End file.
